Guide means for the casting in a continuous casting machine



March 18, 1969 H. SCHREWE 3,433,289

GUIDE MEANS FOR THE CASTING IN A CONTINUQUS CASTING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1966 lnven for: flans Schreue United States Patent M 65,684 US. Cl. 164282 Int. Cl. B22d 11/12 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Guide means for a continuous casting have externally recessed guide rolls that engage the casting, and the recesses form with the casting surface passages for conducting away in divided streams a cooling liquid that 1s applied to the rolls.

The invention relates to means for guiding in a continuous casting machine the casting, such as the billet or slab or the like, immediately after the emergence of the casting from the casting mold. More particularly, the invention relates to the construction of these guide means, including the particular structure of guide rolls.

It is known to provide guide rolls below the continuous casting mold, to guide the casting as it emerges from the mold. The construction of guide rolls used heretofore has various disadvantages, particularly where the castings are wide slabs. Cooling water that is sprayed onto the casting in the so-called secondary cooling Zone is dammed up between each guide roll and the casting, which leads to cooling conditions that defy control.

As in the region immediately below the continuous casting mold the skin of the casting is extremely thin, the aforesaid uncontrolled cooling conditions are particularly disadvantageous, as they lead to higher incidences of cracking, or even of breaking open, of the skin of the casting.

For a general discussion of continuous casting, see the article, The Continuous Casting of Steel, by Leonard V. Gallagher and Bruce S. Old, in the December 1963 issue of the Scientific American, pp. 7588.

It is accordingly among the principal objects of the invention to provide guide means that avoid the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.

It is another object of the invention to provide particularly shaped guide rolls that are disposed below the continuous casting mold.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such guide rolls that may either be connected with relation to the mold, or 'be independent of the mold.

It is still another object of the invention to arrange for guide rolls that have recesses, such as annular grooves or depressions, or the like, so that the guide rolls are provided with a plurality of surfaces engaging the casting, which engaging surfaces are spaced from each other for only small distances, defining passages while the cooling liquid, such as the cooling water may be conducted away in divided streams through the passages.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a guide roll that includes a plurality of short rolls aligned near each other, that are spaced from each other for small distances.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide support means for each guide roll.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following specification and in part will be obvious therefrom without being specifically referred to, the same being realized and attained as pointed out in the claims hereof.

With the above and other objects of the invention in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of various devices, elements and parts, as set forth in the claims hereof, one embodiment of the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the specification.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the lower part of a continuous casting mold for a slab with guide rolls only one of which, however, is visible in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line AA of FIG. 1.

In carrying out the invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there are provided guide means that include guide rolls 2 which are disposed below the lower part of a continuous casting mold 1. The continuous casting mold 1, in the instant embodiment, is for wide slabs, and hence, as best shown in FIG. 2, there are provided two guide rolls 2 which are arranged alongside the wide surfaces of the slab. The slab, as it emerges from the mold 1, and as best shown in FIG. 2, is for the major part liquid on its interior 5, and has a thin skin 6.

Each guide roll 2 may comprise a plurality of short rolls that are spaced from each other for small distances and arranged in axial alignment.

The guide rolls 2, as best shown in FIG. 2, have recesses 3, such as annular grooves or depressions, or the like, that form with the casting surface passages through which the liquid, such as water, sprayed onto the casting in the so-called secondary cooling zone may be conducted away in divided streams.

The rolls 2 are journalled in jaws 4. The jaws 4 may be connected to the mold 1, as shown in FIG. 1, or alternatively, the journalling for the rolls 2 may be independent of the casting mold 1, if desired.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, support means are provided for the guide rolls 2 that comprise a carrier 7 for each guide roll 2 which is disposed rearwardly of the guide roll relative to the casting, and a plurality of supports 8 which are formed on the carrier 7 and which engage the respective guide roll 2.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured to Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. Guide means for a continuous casting, for use in a continuous casting machine including a mold producing the said casting, said guide means comprising two guide rolls each guide roll being operable to engage one surface of the casting to guide said casting emerging from the mold, each guide roll having a series of narrow external recesses, said casting being adapted to be cooled by a cooling liquid as it emerges from the mold, said external recesses being annular recesses defining with the casting surface passages for conducting away said cooling liquid in divided streams, and support means for each guide roll comprising a carrier adapted to be connected to said mold and disposed rearwardly of the guide roll relative to the casting, and a plurality of supports formed on said carrier and each support engaging said guide roll at a recess thereof.

3 2 Guide means, as claimed in claim 1, each guide roll being composed of a plurality of short r011 arranged near each other in axial alignment.

3. Guide means, as claimed in claim 2, the short rolls of each guide roll being spaced apart from each other 5 for small distances.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,904,860 9/1959 Hazelett 16487 10 3,209,452 10/1965 Schnccken'burger 164283 4 1 12/ .Erenken t.@1-i--V- -i-,--,-H.. ,4- 5/1942 Williams 164282 7/1959 Bungeroth 164-282 8/1966 Lemper l64--282 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/ 1965 Great Britain.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

R. SPENCER ANNEAR, Assistant Examiner. 

